Modern society has seen a proliferation of electronic devices available to the typical person. As a result, people often purchase new types of devices, or upgrade an existing device to a newer model. It is typical for a user who has obtained a new device to simply remove the device from the device packaging and put the device use, not bothering to read the instruction manual.
Both the user and manufacturer are disadvantaged by this user approach. For example, the user may not discover key functionality of the device. Or, the user may not use the device as intended, and therefore have a less than optimal experience or perception of the device. From the manufacturer's perspective, there's a lost opportunity to provide the user with valuable information. The manufacturer provides instruction manuals and other materials such as registration cards not viewed by the end-user, adding to the cost and clutter of packaging. These materials are static, and therefore impossible to ‘pull’ from the packaging once shipped.
In the prior art, with respect to product registration, the most common approach to device registration is the registration card enclosed within the product packaging. Many end-users simply do not take the time to register their purchased product, viewing it as undesirably time-consuming to fill out the card and mail it to the manufacturer. Some manufacturers attempt to entice customers to do so with giveaways, coupons, or other incentives, but these attempts are often ineffective.
In the prior art, with respect to device set up and use, most manufacturers provide an instruction manual. However, these manuals are often poorly written and difficult to understand. Even in the best case scenario, these manuals can be difficult for some users to comprehend and remember. In certain cases, manufacturers utilize QR code technology, where a small, scannable bar code is used to encode a website URL related to a product. However, this method suffers from low adoption rates due to the need for additional scanning software and unreliable quality.
As a result, improved methods and apparatuses for determining a person's status are needed.